pome
Americannoun
noun
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A fleshy simple fruit that has several seed chambers developed from a compound ovary and an outer fleshy part developed from the enlarged base of the flower. The pome is an accessory fruit and is characteristic of certain plants in the rose family, such as the apple and pear.
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Also called false fruit
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Compare berry drupe See more at accessory fruit simple fruit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pome
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin pōma, plural (taken as singular) of pōmum fruit
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But behind closed curtains stands the humble pear — a pome fruit that enjoys its peak season during the autumnal months, despite being available year-round.
From Salon • Nov. 17, 2025
Crops at risk of this particular invasive species include pome and stone fruits, citrus, dates, avocados and many vegetables, particularly tomatoes and peppers.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2024
Affected apples also contain an excess amount of sorbitol — a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that's commonly found in berries and pome fruit varieties.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2021
And the department’s quince keeper, Joseph Postman, explained that in the future, DNA testing might reveal whether the pome was a long-lost descendant of old Mediterranean stock.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2012
Fruit a fleshy pome, with the cells formed by papery or cartilaginous membranes within juicy flesh.
From Trees of the Northern United States Their Study, Description and Determination by Apgar, A. C. (Austin Craig)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
